'Epic' Community Screenshot Montage

Whitesoxrule scrubbed our community files collection and came away with a montage. Over six minutes and set up in HD. Description and video below. Check it out.

"Searching through the communities files is hard work. But finding the right screenshots is easy, especially since you're all so good at it. Last weekend I found myself browsing the 'Epic' tag in the community files in search of my favorite pieces of work and the results of that search can very well define the word 'Epic' in numerous ways. Feel free to take a look for yourself. I wiped what I found into an HD montage for viewer enjoyment."

Halo-verse Planetary Scale

SoundEffect gets visual.

If you're looking to get a better sense of scale, Stephen Loftus has you covered (to the micrometer). He's been working on the fit and finish of the fictional planetary bodies presented in the Halo Universe for quite some time now, but it looks like he's just dropped some new data points. Check out his handiwork.

The Halo Periodic Table

Gettin' all sciency and stuff.

Hawty McBloggy's got beauty and brains. And our t-shirt.

"The periodic table is an elemental display of scientific awesomeness. The following inter-pretation is the Halo equivalent. Mimicking the wide layout with the inclusion of the f-block, this gorgeous video game-themed version features all the exact symbols with things born in the expansive Halo universe acting as substitutions for the original chemicals. This project has been my baby for nine very long months now with graphic designer John Stvan (also known as Halcylon) actively working on it for the past four. I focused on content while he worked magic with the visuals and now you get to enjoy the fruit of our labor. I just used the words baby and labor in consecutive sentences. Lawlz. If you’re still reading this instead of ogling the beauty that is the Halo Periodic Table, you deserved the bad joke. Now go choose your preferred size out of the six available and begin dissecting this monstrous piece of art!"

Halo 3 ODST: Valor Part 3

Only human.

The final installment of Kootra's brief machinima series, "Valor," is online and ready for viewing. If you missed the previous two, they can be found in the sidebar or on his channel after you make the jump.

Clantacular.com's Favorite Files Updated

Back for more.

As we mentioned last week, the players over at Clantacular.com aren't into Halo 3 content as much as some of the groups we spotlight. They're into playing. So, when it came to select some more screenshots this week, they turned to the B.net community at large. In addition to the new hit of content, they're also talking about their map, Top Floor. Before you go up to the top, go down and get informed about what it took to cook it up.

Q. What inspired Top Floor?

A. This map was one of the first ones we did as a community. It was made for our Clantacular.com Birthday Bash announced on Bungie back in May of 2008. We were just going for a fun FFA map for an open party. We were looking to have enough room to host a full custom party on Black Out and play for a full 24 hours.

Q. How long did it take to create?

A. It only took about a week to create.

Q. Only a week!? What aspect took the longest to get right?

A. Adding the forth floor on blackout and getting everything spaced just right so that the floor was easy to access. And making enough room for a 16 player SWAT FFA with frags!

Q. How could The Forge be improved?

A. Unlimited items, it really bites when you just need one more wall! Why make Forge a game? It would be nice to have a full arsenal of map building resources. However, I am sure that is what everyone says right?

Honestly... Forge is already pretty awesome! We are just glad to have it! Thanks Bungie!
I see what you did there. You couched your criticism inside some compliments. Good communication skillz, yo!

If you want to communicate with Clantac, you should check out their website. If you just want to see what kind of content they have on offer, stop into Bungie Favorites.

Zoxin It Up! LIVE - 24-Hour Game-A-Thon

"The November Edition of Zoxin it Up! LIVE was not held last month, if anyone noticed. The reasoning for this is in the following paragraph, with all the delicious details.

The 24-Hour Game-A-Thon is a new event hosted LIVE by Zoxin It Up! LIVE, supporting cancer research! We hope to be making this a new annual event for the entire community in which we will play multiple games (including the ever-godly Halo games) for a total of 24 Hours and broadcast it LIVE!

This year's Game-A-Thon will begin on December 21st @ 1:00pm EST (And if you know your math, that means it will end on December 22nd @ 1:00pm EST. At which time we will sleep for many, many hours). We will be having special guests every other hour from sites such as HaloTech and the 405th!

If anyone wants to participate in the 24-Hour Game-A-Thon, or wants more information, stay tuned to our Twitter Page and send us a reply!"

Average Joe - Screecherz

Slappin' on his serious face.

Screecherz might not know where his gamertag comes from, but he sure knows where he likes to spend some of his down time. If you've seen him maxin' relaxin' right here on Bungie.net and wondered what in the world his story is, wonder no more - we cornered him and forced him to answer our not-so-pressing questions. Scroll down for his answers.

Q. Who are you and what do you do?

A. My name is Tom, I recently turned 16, and I live just south of the Twin Cities in the warm and sunny state of Minnesota. I am currently unemployed, but I’m about to hop back onto the occupation train and work at a delicious sub shop – none other than the Blue Ox Sandwich Factory. If you haven’t heard of it buy yourself a plane ticket and grab a bite to eat, it’s worth it.

My weeks and weekends go by pretty normally, I play some Xbox (when it isn’t flashing red lights at me), I swim a lot, and I try to get my school homework done. Swimming is my favorite thing to do, but unless I rake up some cash, I won’t get any pool time until next spring.

Q. Well, that was relatively coherent and subdued for a guy who goes by "Screecherz." Where'd you get the gamertag?

A. The origins of my name are pretty obscure to me. My profile here was taken from my gamer tag, which, in turn was derived from my old online PC name of "Screech." Where that name came from, I couldn’t tell you. I could have thought it was cool or original at some point, but it’s really not clear to me at this point. To make it quite clear, it isn’t taken from Saved by the Bell, and no, I do not make pornos.

Q. I don't think Screech did either. Stunt double and all that. Either way, this is getting a little too mature for my liking. Let's talk about where you waste the most time when you're online. What forums do you hang out in?

A. My most active forum would probably be the Community Forum, but the fast pace of ODST and The Flood have brought my interest there as well. I like the Community Forum because it gives me a chance to slap on my Serious Face and kick some ass, but people don’t ever listen. The ODST forum gives me a chance to help out lost gamers, and the Flood is, well, the Flood. I can’t say more than that.

Asides from the Forums, I’m also an avid Private Group poster. In my groups I get a chance to act ridiculously stupid without being judged, and I get to have a little more fun than is normally allowed in the Public Forums. So for anyone who likes to butcher the English language, or just can’t help it, private groups are the place for you.

Q. So, why gaming?

A. Gaming is primarily just a way for me to have fun personally; however with Xbox LIVE starting to become a huge social networking project, I’ve been able to hook up with a lot of friends and family. I have a good dozen personal friends on my list, and a few family members (some from Pennsylvania) that frequent Xbox LIVE. All in all, I use the service to have some nice clean fun.

Q. What was the first Bungie title you had some good, old fashioned, and totally clean fun with?

A. Halo: PC. My dad got me into this when he first played through the campaign, I was young, and so I wasn’t allowed to play it until I gained a few years for the tally, but it was well worth the wait. I have no end to the praise I can give that game, and I continue to hop on it from time to time. If I had a genie lamp, wish number one would be to resurrect the game, give it Xbox LIVE multiplayer support, and completely revamp the graphics (leaving the physics untouched, of course).

BRAGGING: I used to hold the Number 3 global spot in Oddball for Halo: PC. Just sayin’.

Q. Whoa, nice. Who would have thought? On the subject of disbelief and incredulity, did you ever think you'd be so involved with a gaming community?

A. I’m not so much surprised at how involved I am in the community as much as I am surprised at how well it took me in. After a slow start, I started to get familiarized with a few members of the site and now I am a full blown elitist. I believe Singularity was the person who got the ball rolling for me, but I do like to think I am responsible for a little bit of awesome.

Q. Do you get involved with any other online hot spots?

A. The only entertainment community I am a part of is Bungie.net. The forum structure, the great look of the site, private groups, stats, screenshots, etc, all make me come back here. The only other group I used to be involved with was BFM, a group that was dedicated to racing in Halo: PC.

BRAGGING: I used to hold the 107th global spot in Racing for Halo: PC. Just sayin’.

Q. Well, it's not top three, but I guess it's okay. Anything you would like to add before we cross this here finish line?

A. I’d like to thank the people who accepted me into the community for one, but I would like to make a few shout-outs to some special friends in real life and Xbox LIVE. First off, JT, for being one of the best, most helpful, and most fun to play with friends over Xbox LIVE. Rhi, for giving me an outlet to blow off steam and for loving me so much, and lastly all members of the Web team – who make the coolest site that I have come to know.
Thanks to Tom for taking time out to tackle our interrogation. If you want to take the time to say what's up to Screecherz, we've got a discussion thread up and going so you can do just that. Drop in and tell him how awesome he is.

G4's Reaction Time

Reflecting on Halo 3: ODST.

Did we learn any lessons from Halo 3: ODST? Sure. Never let Buck grab the gun on the Warthog. That's always bad news. Oh, and we learned some other stuff too. Want to learn what we learned? Check out the article linked below.

Top 5 Video Game Characters

An ass-kickin', cybernetically enhanced supersoldier...

...could probably take out a hedgehog and a plumber. Just sayin'. Still, even though the Master Chief didn't take the top spot, it's cool to see CNET TV giving the man in green some love. Thanks to HBO for the heads up.

'Paramount' - Halo 3 Montage

The description below has one player's review of this montage. It's just under six minutes, ultra heavy on the special FX, and packed with a huge variety of gameplay.

"This by far is one of the most enjoyable montages I have ever seen. The editing is flawless, and the gameplay is just nasty. Not to mention the amazing HD quality. The year is almost over and with that said, this is one of the top 5 best of 2009."

'Just Drive' - A Halo 3 Goosetage

It's Tuesday morning, you're tired, and you have the rest of the work week to plow through. Cheer yourself up by watching this dude plow through some other dude's in matchmaking. On a Mongoose. Check it out.

"What happens when you put a laggy mofo on a mongoose and tell him to go insane? And then
make a montage out of the footage of him going insane? You get this."

H3ITWP Montage Deux

If you've got ten minutes of spare time and a love of all things Halo 3, you should check out this montage. Nice quality, great footage, and some slick editing make it one hell of a ride. Description and movie magic below.

"Welcome to the H3ITWP fun-team-goose-mon-chini-tage. It's a little bit of everything that we love about Halo 3. From the serious MLG 50s who breathe exterminations to the goose specialists who would rather be splattering errant dinos. From the players who only ever click on the "matchmaking" tab to avid forgers and machinimists. This is meant as a bit of an ode to Halo 3."